Preview: Xenosaga Episode II – Jenseits von Gut und Bose

The next chapter in Namco’s epic RPG series is certain to be very gut indeed.

Tags: Categories: PS2 Previews, Previews

Posted by Ludwig on Jun 24th, 2004


MonolithSoft is a developer that deserves an incredible amount of respect for what they have accomplished in the past and what they are hoping to achieve in the future. Comprised of the team members best known for the seminal Playstation cult classic, Xenogears, they’ve dedicated a ludicrous amount of time to their re-imagining of that game’s intricate science fiction world and complex themes – Xenosaga. If all goes according to plan, the RPG series will consist of six chapters spanning 3 generations of consoles and ten years of development time. In fact, it’s quite likely that we’ll experience the final episode in the saga within the luxurious comfort of our bio-home’s holographic project-o-chair (with optional nacho dispenser attachment). Are these developers obsessed and in need of some quality time in white, padded rooms? Perhaps, but one must admit it takes a lot of determination to say, “We’re telling this story, no matter what.” And if you’ve played the first fantastic episode, Der Wille Zur Macht, you’ll have realized that they also said, “Sit down and watch this beautiful, 45-minute long cutscene. And you there with the attention span of a lonely paperclip, shut up or go play some Crash Bandicoot! Yeah, and your mother’s fat too.”

Out with the old…


Translating to (coincidentally) “Beyond Good and Evil”, Jenseits von Gut und Bose continues directly after the spectacular ending sequence of Episode I. Apparently, there was enough time between chapters for the characters to quickly pop out for some reconstructive facial surgery, as this episode sees them shedding their saucer-eyed anime designs for more mature mugs. Given the complex and adult themes of the inherently serious series (religion, the meaning of life and most importantly, sexy robots), it certainly seems to be a wholly appropriate alteration. Even geeky scientist and lead character, Shion Uzuki, has come to the realization that when you’re living thousands of years into the future, you probably don’t need to be wearing glasses anymore (even if Geordi LaForge disagrees).

…and in with the n00bs


The entire cast of Episode I returns and is joined by a few newcomers. The first is Shion’s brother, Jin Uzuki, a master swordsman who still dons the clothes and customs of the past. He has a sordid history with Margulis and, as a meticulously choreographed swordfight during a flashback will illustrate, is directly responsible for the villain’s facial scar. Rather than being thankful for the highly popular and bodily “Hello, I’m a disgruntled bad guy” badge, Margulis will undoubtedly be intent on exacting revenge along with carrying out his other evil schemes. Another newcomer to the group is Canaan (biblical references ahoy), a floppy-haired realian A.G.W.S. (fancy name for a mech) pilot who can be seen skillfully reducing a battalion of enemy mechs to a burnt-out pile of rubble whilst barely breaking a sweat. Together with Shion, Ziggy, Junior, MOMO, Chaos and everybody’s favourite attractive and possibly apocalyptic android, KOS-MOS, the set of controllable characters is as interesting and varied as ever.


Episode II promises to delve even deeper into the murky pasts of our protagonists and their relationships. We’ll find out more about Ziggy’s obsession with eliminating all aspects of humanity from his body and we’ll learn more about the past and motivations of Chaos. Most importantly, the relationship between the U.R.T.V. trio, Junior (a.k.a. Rubedo), Gaignun Kukai and the Kefka-esque psychopath, Albedo, will be explained as we are given a glimpse into their volatile childhood experiences. And, if we’re lucky, we’ll even get to see Albedo ripping off his own head again. It’s certainly a great trick, though I don’t expect it goes down very well at children’s parties.

Battle System has gained a level!


When you’ve become an integral part of a band of heroic characters that travels around the galaxy, thwarting dastardly madmen and preventing catastrophes, there are certain lifestyle changes that you must accept. For instance, taking a casual stroll through a rustic forest will always result in a battle for your very survival. Every single bird, dog, caterpillar, bat, piranha, flower, alien, monkey and dinosaur in the area will attack you for no apparent reason and since there’s never a peaceful solution to be found, you’ll have to savagely annihilate the local wildlife and rob their corpses of any potions and money they might hold. Being an RPG character clearly leads to aggressive kleptomania, which is why it’s paramount to have a deep and engaging battle system.


Xenosaga’s turn-based battle system returns in Episode II with a few minor tweaks. Each character still possesses both ranged and melee attacks that can be strung into powerful combos, depending on the order of your button presses. Every attack takes up a set amount of points, with more powerful combo attacks requiring you to save up points across two or more turns. A further layer of strategy comes in the form of the boost system. Once a character’s boost gauge fills up (due to carrying out various actions during a battle), it becomes possible to steal a turn, the timing of which can entirely change the outcome of combat. These unchanged aspects should all be familiar and pleasing to players of the last game. So, what’s new?


In this episode, you’ll have to think about how best to combine the powers of your party members in spectacular team attacks and combos. Certain characters will be able to interact on the battlefield and work in unison to deliver a visually pleasing and devastating blow to the baddies. More innovation comes in the form of the zone/break system, a feature that will play a vital role during boss battles. Some hostile experimentation is all that’s necessary in order to discover and exploit certain weak spots possessed by those Gnosis ne’er-do-wells. The Anti-Gnosis Weapon Systems (the aforementioned A.G.W.S. or huge-ass mechs) play a more significant role as well, quite an improvement from being mostly useless and relegated to gathering dust in the cargo hold during the last episode. Characters will no longer be able to freely enter and exit their massive machines and will instead be forced to take control of them during certain events. It’s a great change and makes a lot more sense than MOMO running up to a giant robot and destroying it with a whack of her crappy wand thing.

Applicant must be experienced


Another lifestyle adaptation for an RPG character is dealing with the unbridled obsession with statistics. Everything from your physical prowess and magical abilities to your choice of clothing and level of facial hair must be assigned some sort of number. Sweaters are not warm; they provide a +10 against cold attacks. Cheeseburgers do not satiate your hunger; they restore 50 hit points. Practice does not make perfect; it nets you 500 EXP and raises your level. If there’s any point to all of this, it’s that Xenosaga has a whole lotta points to deal with.


Following a battle, the characters in your party will receive three sets of points: Ether points, Skill Points and Tech points. The amount received in each area is determined by an on-screen dial that applies a special condition to each battle turn before rotating. For example, it may increase the amount of tech points gained by an active character or increase the likelihood of a physical attack being a critical hit. When the combat round is over, all the points are added up and the player is able to enhance his party’s skills and a multitude of other aspects. Ether points enable characters to learn new ether attacks (Xenosaga’s equivalent of magic), tech points unlock new attacks or enhance existing ones and skill points let characters acquire certain status enhancements and immunities, amongst other things. Episode II retains the same depth of character customization that its predecessor had, but raises the sheer number of available abilities to well over a 100. Gamers who like to micro-manage their characters have nothing to complain about here.

Intermission


A lot of gamers complained about the fact that Der Wille Zur Macht (meaning “The Will to Power”) had enough cutscenes to make Hideo Kojima squirm uncomfortably in his seat. They complained about the length of these sequences and eventually came to such outlandish conclusions as, “I watched Xenosaga more than I played it,” “one cutscene lasted for 67 hours” and our favorite, “Xenosaga? More like Cutscene-O-Saga!” Yeah, that last guy should be shot. Dear whining gamers, your incessant screeching has been heard by MonolithSoft! Xenosaga: Episode II will ONLY contain about 6 hours of cutscenes.

Well, I guess you can’t win them all.


Seriously, it’s not like you’re watching Titanic or The English Patient. Unlike those films, spectacular interstellar battles, enormous dueling robots and exploding planets do not incur an urge to ingest cyanide or plunge kitchen utensils into our eye sockets. If that is the case with you, Jenseits von Gut und Bose will be the last thing you see, as it has all of the abovementioned events in spades, at least according to the game’s trailer shown at E3. Sadly, it was all in Japanese and my knowledge of the language only extends to basic conversation. As surprising as it is, Shion and the gang’s quest to save the universe never once involves asking the location of the post office or gracefully declining a seafood platter. Despite this, the visuals were enough to convey the epic twists and turns this chapter would convey; enough to convince me not to spoil any more story details in a preview.

Sensory Overload


We’re not sure how they do it, but much like Konami and Square Enix, MonolithSoft has an uncanny ability to squeeze out some of the most beautiful images out of the technically lamented PS2. We’re convinced that small animals wind up dead on strange symbols in their offices, though we’re not about to complain. Xenosaga: Episode II looks fantastic. Aside from having some of the best hair the genre has seen, the character models are filled with an exorbitant number of polygons and animated life. Environments boast an epic sense of scale and are touched with excellent smoke and particle effects. Textures still seem a little simplistic but the futuristic and minimalist art design may be more to blame than technical difficulties.


Some of you may have difficulty accepting that Yasunori Mitsuda, composer of Episode I, Chrono Cross (amongst others) and all-round genius will not be returning for the aural aspects of this title. Though it’s sad to lose him, his replacement is doing an outstanding job so far (again, judging by the E3 trailer). Having most recently worked on Bandai’s .Hack series, Yuki Kajiura has been brought in to compose the music for the game’s dramatic scenes. From what we’ve heard, this particular musician will ensure that we get completely swept up in the emotion and adventure of Xenosaga.

To be Continued

In the end, that’s really what it’s all about – being pulled into a distant world and saving the universe while you’re there. Xenosaga is dead set on telling one of the greatest stories ever told and with Episode II, it looks like they’re well on their way to achieving that lofty goal. The game is currently set for a February 2005 release.

Your Ad Here

No comments on Preview: Xenosaga Episode II – Jenseits von Gut und Bose

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Your Ad Here